90657 (3.4) Decision Essay Plan
Question: Explain the factors behind Elizabeth I’s decision to neither marry nor name a successor.
Evaluate the consequences of the decision for Elizabeth and England until 1603.
Factors that contributed to the decision being made
(Background causes/context, these may be short or long term, personal/ local/ national/
international etc):
Decision to remain unmarried:
 England was a patriarchal society which meant that women were considered inferior to men.
They were supposed to aspire to be wives and mothers.
 It was expected that when Elizabeth became queen she would instantly try to find a suitable
husband and produce a protestant male heir
 Elizabeth’s childhood had left a major impression on her;
- she had been raised in the shadow of her ‘adulterous’ mother who could not provide
her father with a male heir
- Her father’s desire for a male heir taught her that ‘maleness mattered’ (Susan Doran)
- she had been raised by multiple stepmothers and witnessed the execution of Katherine
Howard (at the age of 8)
- she had witnessed her sister Mary’s unhappy marriage, desperate desire for a child and
her decreasing popularity due to her husband, Philip II’s loss of Calais,
- she had experienced the unwelcome attentions of Thomas Seymour which David
Starkey described as ‘bordering on child abuse’
 Elizabeth was independent and didn’t want to submit to a domineering partner. This didn’t
seem like too much of a problem early in her reign because she was young and Mary Queen of
Scots (the next in line to the throne) was also childless so the threat to the Tudor dynasty was
small, plus she had plenty of potential suitors.
 Elizabeth considered the religious affiliation of her suitors to avoid any possible future wars
and to decide how popular they would be with her subjects, e.g. Whilst the French marriage
offered tempting benefits (a strong alliance to help against the Spanish and the Scots), its
potential political problems were massive – Some English Puritans were so opposed to the
possible marriage union they published a book called The Gulph Wherein England will be
Swallowed by the French Marriage.
Decision to not name a successor:
 Because she wasn’t married, she couldn’t have children and therefore the issue of succession
became more important as she aged.
 Elizabeth survived a smallpox outbreak in 1562 which worried Parliament. As a result the
House of Commons begged her to name a successor in the next session of Parliament but she
was reluctant to name an heir to the throne out of fear that her life would be put in danger.
She told them “I know the people of England, how they ever dislike the present government
and have their eyes fixed on the person who is next to succeed”.
 She recalled her early days when she was sent to the Tower for her accused involvement in the
Wyatt Rebellion during Mary Tudor’s reign and therefore delayed her decision to announce a
successor stating “if my successor were known to the world, I would never esteem my state to
be safe”
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Decision:
(Who made it, did they do it alone or have guidance, was it rushed or well considered, when was
it to be implemented and by whom etc)
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Decision to remain unmarried – made ultimately by Elizabeth alone despite repeated pleas by
Parliament and Privy Councillors to consider/disregard various suitors.
Not a deliberate decision at first, but evolved over time.
Decision to remain unmarried then caused the secondary decision to not name a successor as
she could not have children out of wedlock so her heir would come from Stuart lineage. She
again faced pleas from Parliament and Privy Councillors to announce the successor but she
refused due to fears of plots to place the successor on the throne.
Consequences of Decision:
(These could be long/short term, political, social, economic, religious etc)
Decision to remain unmarried:
 Elizabeth maximized the diplomatic advantages from the prolonged marriage negotiations.
She used marriage talks as a form of foreign policy, e.g. marriage talks with the Habsburgs
minimised the possible Catholic backlash to her Religious Settlement, and she gained financial
benefits from Eric of Sweden.
 By remaining unmarried, her authority remained undiminished, but she faced consistent
pressure from Parliament and the Privy Councillors for many years until she made a
statement that she was ‘married to England’. Parliament even attempted to force her to discuss
marriage and succession in 1566 by linking the voting of a subsidy (money) to Elizabeth’s
agreed compliance to marriage - she refused saying “It is monstrous that the feet should
direct the head” and they eventually stopped asking about it.
 Because she was unmarried she created the persona of the virgin queen which was a useful
propaganda tool, alongside her image of Gloriana. She wore a ring to symbolise the fact she
was married to her kingdom and subjects.
 She suffered personal heartache - she could not marry her beloved ‘Robin’ (Dudley) and also
refrained from marrying her ‘little frog’, the Duke of Anjou when her council strongly
objected, resulting in a lonely, childless end to her reign.
 Without her own natural protestant heir, Elizabeth faced real threats from the next in line to
the throne, Mary Queen of Scots. Many English Catholics supported Mary’s claim to the
throne and when Mary arrived in England there were several plots to dethrone or assassinate
Elizabeth including the Ridolfi, Throckmorton and Babington plots. Her involvement in the
plots resulted in her execution and her infant son James becoming the potential heir to the
English throne – a positive for Elizabeth as he was raised as a Protestant.
Decision to not name a successor:
 The Tudor dynasty died with Elizabeth.
 James Stuart was a protestant which made him an excellent heir but she still refused to
officially name him as her successor until 1601. Elizabeth reluctantly acknowledged his role as
heir by giving him a pension but still only named him on her deathbed.
 Her ministers continued to pressure her to formally announce her heir but some including
Robert Cecil began secretly corresponding with James, setting in motion a relatively
successful, unchallenged succession in 1603
 James was the logical successor and was accepted by the English people as the new king of
both Scotland and England (creating Great Britain). He ascended the English throne in 1603.
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Historical Context: (contemporary/historians judgements)
Note: These are some possible quotes that could be used throughout the essay; don’t use entire
quotes, just key words or phrases. Use both contemporaries and historians where possible.
Decision to remain unmarried:
 Burghley said of Robert Dudley, “nothing is increased by marrying…him either in riches… or
power”.
 Historian L.J. Taylor-Smith said “childhood experiences taught Elizabeth that ‘maleness
mattered’ and left her with a ‘masculine identification’… [she]…adopt[ed]…masculine
qualities of dominance, aggression and fearlessness, which made it impossible for her to
assume the subservient role expected of a wife”.
 Historian Susan Doran states “[M]any at Court disliked the prospect of the Queen marrying a
foreigner. Besides xenophobic prejudices, they shared a genuine apprehension about the
practical political problems that seemed likely to arise from any union between Elizabeth
and a foreign prince. Her consort…might draw the Queen into wars of his own making and
expect her subjects to pay the cost; he might take his wife abroad to live…. Furthermore, if
Elizabeth were to die in childbirth, her husband would act as regent with the authority to
rule until the child reached maturity. Even though… these concerns could be dealt with in a
careful worded marriage contract, these alarming prospects influenced many to speak out
against Elizabeth’s foreign candidates”.
 Elizabeth is famous for saying to parliament “… it shall be…engraven upon my Marble
Tombe, Here lyeth Elizabeth, which reigned a Virgin, and died a Virgin”.
Decision to not name a successor:
 Derrick Murphy said “…James offered …stable government under an experienced king with a
fertile queen who had already produced two surviving sons and a daughter by 1603.”
Your Argument (including evaluation):
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Elizabeth did not originally intend to not marry but realised her fate as her reign progressed.
Marriage offered just as many threats as it did opportunities in both the long and short term.
She successfully used the issue of marriage to her advantage politically at her own personal
(emotional) cost in the long term.
Elizabeth knowingly chose to not marry and therefore chose to end the Tudor dynasty.
Fear of plots surrounding her heir resulted in a reluctance to formally announce an heir until
her deathbed. This was typical of Elizabeth’s cautious approach to many matters of state.
Possible Introduction:
Women in Early Modern England were generally considered inferior and encouraged to measure
their worth through their roles as wives and mothers. When Elizabeth ascended the throne in 1558, it
was assumed that like her sister before her, she would marry a foreign prince and continue the Tudor
line. She was, however, a significant exception to the rule, choosing to sacrifice her long term
personal happiness in exchange for greater control over her kingdom. Despite considerable,
sustained pressure from both her advisors and parliament, she continued to use her unmarried status
for political gain, resulting in a relatively war-free and stable reign but dooming the Tudor dynasty.
As she aged and with no heir to her throne, she feared for her life, refusing to name a successor until
on her deathbed, casting doubt throughout the nation regarding who would next lead England and
fears for the security of the Protestant faith.
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